Last chance for Florida's Carl Moore

MARK LONG

Friday

Aug 20, 2010 at 12:22 AM

GAINESVILLE -- Florida receiver Carl Moore missed the 2008 national championship game because of a back injury, missed last season following surgery and even missed several days last spring because of personal issues.

All frustrating absences.

All reasons to work harder.

Moore, once a highly coveted junior college prospect from Roseville, Calif., has a chance to turn his career around this fall. The fifth-year senior has emerged as a starter and a leader for the Gators. He also could become quarterback John Brantley's go-to guy.

"You appreciate what these guys go through," offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. "High expectations, buildup, injuries, disappointment. They're still kids. They're young and sometimes they don't handle those things always exactly textbook, but they bounce back and they learn and they grow from it.

"Carl's come back, and to me, he's come back with a great attitude, a great outlook, and I like where he's headed right now a lot."

One of Florida's concerns this season is replacing receivers Riley Cooper, David Nelson and Brandon James. Deonte Thompson, Chris Rainey and Andre Debose are expected to shoulder some of the workload, but none of them has Moore's 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame.

Still, questions surround the entire receiving corps.

Will Thompson avoid the dropped passes that plagued him early last season? Will Rainey and Debose, both undersized speedsters, stay healthy? Will freshmen Quinton Dunbar and Chris Dunkley contribute right away?

There might be even more doubts about Moore.

He was supposed to give Florida a proven pass catcher when he transferred from Sierra Community College in 2008. He had 73 receptions for 1,068 yards and 16 touchdown as a sophomore at Sierra, and Gators coach Urban Meyer envisioned him having similar success in Gainesville.

But Moore has spent more time in the training room than in the end zone.

He caught 14 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown as a junior in 2008, but hurt his back in the Southeastern Conference title game against Alabama. He missed the national title game against Oklahoma a month later.

He returned for spring practice, but re-injured his back during offseason workouts.

This time, it didn't heal. Doctors determined he needed surgery to shave down a bulging disk in his lower back.

"It was sore and then we got it checked out and it didn't get better," Moore said. "With disk bulge, you don't necessarily have to get surgery, but it just kept hitting my nerve and my nerve kept firing up so it got to the point where I needed to get surgery.

"It's frustrating, but at the same time, I understand the sport I'm playing. ... What can you do? Injuries come up, you know."

Moore was granted a medical redshirt, giving him a second shot at his senior year.

"I'm definitely motivated," he said. "I'm more motivated for team success, though. I'm more concerned with us winning a national championship, especially with this being my last year. I want to go out there and try to (go out) on top."

He didn't look like a team player in March, when he stormed out of spring practice and missed the next two sessions. But Moore said his absence had nothing to do with playing time or his role in the offense.

"I was just dealing with some personal issues on my own, but that was just a couple days, and after that it was out (with) the wash," Moore said. "I met with the coaches, talked to the coaches every day and really I just got through it."

Coaches and teammates insist Moore's mind and body are where they need to be now.

"Carl's had a great preseason," Addazio said. "He's really locked in right now. I'm real happy with Carl, for Carl. I think Carl's really got the right mindset and I think Carl's going to have a really good year."

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